Following the leaking of the major parties expense claims i (as i expect most brits) am not just furious but disgusted that the taxpayer is effectively buying them lunch (or snacks like the kit-kat mp) or having their gardening done amongst other dubious expenses......surely the ONLY thing they should acceptably claim is the rental and c.tax charges incurred from having to live in a 2nd property while they are away from their own constituencies.

I have not really been following this...are they as scummy and freeloading as our congresspeople are?

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Probably.

They have a whole bunch of things they can claim for - a lot of the claims are in fact legit under the current rules - it seems that the rules are somewhat flawed and open to abuse so they've been abused. This has only relatively recently been considered in the public interest to declare. And none of the parties are squeaky clean on this.

TBH supermaket bills, dog food and porn films are small beer headline grabbers for the tabloids to crow about - unlike claiming your second home is your main residence to the revenue and saying the opposite on parliamentary record to avoid capital gains tax when you sell it. That's thousands of pounds hidden from the taxman.

In Scotland SMPs publish all the expense receipts submitted online, so anyone who has a mind to can pull a fine tooth comb through any MP's spending habits and keep them honest.

It's a start, but it's not enough. Also, it rather begs the questions:

If they can pay these sums back so easily, why did they claim ('cos they could)

Are they willing to pay them back only because they were caught with their noses in the trough.

If they're willing to pay them back without objection - did they know the claims were improper.

I think in many [most?] cases the answers will be yes, yes and yes.

If so, they should not only be forced to pay the sums back (with interest) their claims for the last ten years [at least] should be investigated for fraud and/or misappropriation of public funds and they should be prosecuted as necessary. Some of the claims would be laughable were it not taxpayer funds they're abusing.

Regardless of the 'rules' those who have willingly admitted to pay back questionable claims (and thus likely knew they were in the wrong) should be forced to stand down as MPs and be barred from public office indefinitely (tricky, that last one).

Ditto for Labour, who (as per a recent thread I started) are about to have the police investigate some of the worst offenders (Hoon, unsurprisingly is on that list - a weasel of a man) and that munchkin Blears should be one of the first against the wall.

I accept that one or two innocents may get caught up ... well if they can't prove that's the case - tough.

It's a start, but it's not enough. Also, it rather begs the questions:

If they can pay these sums back so easily, why did they claim ('cos they could)

Are they willing to pay them back only because they were caught with their noses in the trough.

If they're willing to pay them back without objection - did they know the claims were improper.

I think in many [most?] cases the answers will be yes, yes and yes.

If so, they should not only be forced to pay the sums back (with interest) their claims for the last ten years [at least] should be investigated for fraud and/or misappropriation of public funds and they should be prosecuted as necessary. Some of the claims would be laughable were it not taxpayer funds they're abusing.

Regardless of the 'rules' those who have willingly admitted to pay back questionable claims (and thus likely knew they were in the wrong) should be forced to stand down as MPs and be barred from public office indefinitely (tricky, that last one).

Ditto for Labour, who (as per a recent thread I started) are about to have the police investigate some of the worst offenders (Hoon, unsurprisingly is on that list - a weasel of a man) and that munchkin Blears should be one of the first against the wall.

I accept that one or two innocents may get caught up ... well if they can't prove that's the case - tough.

I wonder what dirty laundry remains unwashed?

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I quite agree....its a positive step for the tories but much too late....no party questioned the expense policy before the s*** hit the fan. ALL parties damaged by this and trust in politicians seriously damaged.

I think the only question left is which party has taken collectively the biggest liberty....they will be the ones that suffer the biggest backlash.

The Sinn Feiners taking houses in London when they were objecting to turning up at the London parliament at all gripped my shit the worst.
The shenanigans of buying houses, claiming the maximum on updates and maintenance, claiming it as a first home so you don't get hit for Capital Gains Tax whilst it's still declared as a second home in the Commons and raking in the tax dodges from that is a close second.
Raking over the coals for the minor stuff is just tabloid fodder to my mind. It's just too easy to overlook something when in the grand scheme of things the Parliamentary work should be your main focus not petty admin. Perhaps a blanket daily allowance would be better for day-to-day living expenses??
I run a small business so know how much of a PITA the admin for claiming little receipts can be and just don't bother half the time.

This news doesnt suprise me in the slightest. These are politicians we're talking about, I think what is most suprising is that people are shocked that politicians are (at the very least, morally) corrupt. What is most shameful about the whole thing is how the leaders have reacted, saying people will have to repay etc and how its very wrong - what a load of crap. They would hardly be saying that if it wasnt headline news. Those politicians who have said "sorry" are the worst, they aren't sorry that they did what they did, they are sorry they got found out.

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The Sinn Feiners taking houses in London when they were objecting to turning up at the London parliament at all gripped my shit the worst.
The shenanigans of buying houses, claiming the maximum on updates and maintenance, claiming it as a first home so you don't get hit for Capital Gains Tax whilst it's still declared as a second home in the Commons and raking in the tax dodges from that is a close second.

Raking over the coals for the minor stuff is just tabloid fodder to my mind. It's just too easy to overlook something when in the grand scheme of things the Parliamentary work should be your main focus not petty admin.

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In principle I agree, if one could be reasonably sure that in affording MPs trust in such matters of petty admin, that good judgement would be applied and abuse of public funds would not result.

It's abundantly clear that [many] MPs cannot be trusted in this respect and therefore [IMO] they deserve every bit as much raking over as many and as hot a coal as can be passed their way. A little creative accounting is one thing ... milking expenses is almost 'expected' but not on this scale and with such audacity. I especially smiled at the horse manure claim ... how entirely appropriate.

These are not isolated instances, they are clear evidence of systemic abuses by many politicians (junior and senior) of all parties over many years. The sums involved are not massive in a national context, but they're not chump change either. The true cost goes far beyond the pounds and pence.

Not that any of this should come as a great surprise, but it's nice to see so many caught in what must seem like the headlight of an oncoming train.

Perhaps a blanket daily allowance would be better for day-to-day living expenses??

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Per Diems can work, provided they don't just encourage MPs to turn up at Westminster and do nothing constructive when they should really be in their constituencies. It's not an easy balance to find, but it's clear that for too many it's not been found ... yet.

For one or two, that balance should be sought on the far end of a short plank ...

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... claims for the last ten years [at least] should be investigated for fraud and/or misappropriation of public funds and they should be prosecuted as necessary.

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Seems like that's pretty much what's planned.

"The Prime Minister ordered an independent review of every claim made over the past four years, which he said would allow MPs to show they are "worthy of public trust".

There will also be "interim" restrictions on what can be claimed, he added.

"This is a radical step but it's a necessary step," Mr Brown said.

In a series of broadcast interviews in Downing Street, the premier said he had "talked" to Communities Secretary Hazel Blears before she announced she would now be paying £13,332 in capital gains tax from the sale of a taxpayer-funded property."

It's nice to see Blears is being forced to return [some of] the money she stole, and that's exactly what she did. Once the cheque clears she should be shown the door and invited to leave, ideally with the assistance of a size 9 boot.

As for the rest of those opportunistic parasites masquarading as public servants - pick a number, get in line.

Gold Member

Normally I'd think it was a fuss about nothing, but there's absolutely no way to justify it. Well - apart from the MP who claimed several thousand to fix the leaking pipe under his tennis court, which is obviously of paramount importance to the taxpayer.

Kinda reminds me of the corruption in Parliament that Cromwell was disgusted with (I know it's a little while ago, lol).

I agree over Sinn Fein - they do whatever the hell they like and quite blatantly take the piss, while constantly pontificating and taking the moral high ground. Sort of like Bono from U2 writ large.

And by the way - I can hardly make ends meet with my meagre 5k allowance for cat food. :frown1:

Gold Member

I'm not all that bothered about a mistaken claim for a can of dog food. I'm not fussed about the electrician who charged around £150 to fix an electrical problem including 25 blown lights (tell me where in London to find an electrician this cheap). These make a headline but there's really nothing in them. I could even shrug at clearing out a moat - if you've got one I daresay it's an expensive feature to maintain.

But I'm shocked at the minister who claims for a mortgage he's repaid - that's criminal. Or the minister who has paid back £40,000+ for something dodgy. Or the minister who forgot to tell the inland revenue that what she told them was her first home she had told parliament was her second. And I'm shocked at flipping. And I'm shocked at the huge sums some MPs seem to burn through on furniture. There are some VERY serious issues here. Plus disgust of course at Sinn Fein milking more UK money, but lets face it this is part of the bribe we pay them to stop murdering people.

The Speaker's antics beggar belief - he's the guy who should be keeping MPs in order. Gord has shown his usual lack of leadership - he's playing catch up. Probably wondering about how he will pay his cleaner. Cameron's actually come out of it quite well - at least he seems to be acting and saying something sensible. The Lib Dems just look vaguely smug (though they have their share of shame).

We need an election. How can this lame duck parliament stagger on? Today the Bank of England has made gloomy predictions for the economy which mean we need a new budget immediately as the last one cannot work.

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Lord of the Troughers, Michael Martin, Speaker of the House of Commons has cost the taxpayer £1.7 million for refurbishment of his home.Michael Martin's home gets £1.7m makeover - Telegraph
So naturally he was peeved when Kate Hoey MP raised a question in the Commons.
Don't worry though, they have all apologised for their "mistakes"...
For any of you who are unfortunate enough to not be MPs with your noses in the taxpayers' trough, I suggest this. Take up shoplifting. If and when you are unlucky enough to get caught, apologise for your "mistake" and offer to put the stolen goods back. I'm sure the police will understand, give you a telling off, and send you on your way...

Gold Member

A Commons aide to Conservative leader David Cameron has resigned over "unacceptable" expense claims.

It appears Bracknell MP Andrew MacKay and his wife Bromsgrove Tory MP Julie Kirkbride both claimed a second home allowance - one for their London home and one for their constituency home, leaving them two second homes but no main home."